Okay, so I'm going to be doing these…let's call them footnotes…at the beginning and end of every chapter now on. So the next three stories—including this one—are going to be in first person perspective and in present tense! Teddy's name is in the title but there are going to be different first person perspectives occasionally. In fact, we're going to start with Pearl! YAY! Also, this is going to be a short chapter to kick off the new trilogy :)
…
Pearl's POV
Screaming. Patrick's hand in mine. Pulling. I'm holding my mate's hand but it's dark and I can't see him and all I can feel is Patrick's sweaty hand. His hand is wrenched from mine, his screams echoing in the darkness.
Then the lights are on and Patrick's standing in front of me, only he's half mechanical and his face shows pure anger as he attacks me over and over again, killing me, and I'm screaming at him to stop but he doesn't, and…
"Patrick!" I wake up, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.
"Mom?"
It's Perry's voice. My son runs to my bedside and puts his paw on my shoulder. "Are you okay, Mom?"
"I'm fine, Perry," I croak, my heart's intense pounding telling a different story. "Just a nightmare. Sorry to wake you up."
"I was already up, don't worry."
"Why are you up so early?"
"It's Teddy's first day as a full agent," Perry replies. "We're heading up to HQ soon. Besides, it's not that early. It's only six thirty."
I sit up on the bed and swing my legs over the side of my bed. "Do you want me to come?" I ask.
Perry shakes his head. "It's fine, Mom. Just go back to sleep."
I think about making a snarky reply like "easy for you to say", but I can go back to sleep easily after a nightmare. They only affect me when I'm having them and in the few minutes after. I nod. Perry gives me a quick hug, before he leaves and I settle back down to go to sleep, which comes easily and, this time, dreamlessly.
…
Teddy's POV
I am so excited. My four-year-long basic training is finally over. Today, I am a true OWCA agent!
Dad's telling me to eat breakfast but I'm too excited to eat anything more than one piece of toast. Mom comes down the stairs, beaming widely. "My little boy…" she keeps crooning.
"Mom…" I complain. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Uh huh," says Dad. "The constant twitching of your feet, a gesture we know very well, tells otherwise."
Darn it. I grin widely. "Okay, so it is a big deal. Well, I can't help it. I'm just really excited."
Thundering on the steps tells me that my little sister is coming. Sure enough, the smaller silver platypus comes running into the room. "You almost forgot about me!" she complains.
"Aw, I could never forget about you, little sis." I ruffle the top of her head.
"I'm not five," she protests. "I'm only seven months younger than you, you know."
"I know that, little sis."
She ducks out of the way of my hand as I prepare to ruffle her head again. "You can't call me that when the new baby comes."
"I could, if it's a boy," I point out.
Mom separates us. "Kids, come on. Teddy, be nice to your sister."
"Aw, come on!"
"Hazel, remember that the new baby is going to be seven years younger than you. That's quite an age difference compared to the seven months between you and Teddy."
"Why are you telling just me that?" Hazel asks. "I'm not the one who's going to pick on the new baby."
"I won't pick on the new baby!" I argue.
"Teddy, we're going to be late if we don't leave now," Dad warns from the kitchen.
"Okay, I'm coming," I call.